Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-03-17
Street.Car AnnOyances.

EDITOR HERALD-Los Angeles pro
fesses to be growing city, filled will
enterprise and energy; city overflow
ing with hospitality and goodwill to
ward all strangers that chance or the
Gods may bring within her gates. "li
this be so," to quote from the Mikado
why does she not put an end to some oi
those many Inconvenience to which the
public is subjected, and which are no.
ticed SO forcibly by strangers and ami
madverted upon with no degree OF
credit to the city. Not long since your
writer had occasion to take the double
horse.car which runs on First and
Spring. On the rear platform of the
car was coil of rubber hose, eight or
nine inches high, covering the whole
platform. Ladies entering this car were
compelled to climb over this treacher-
GUS heap. The driver saw it, yet al
lowed it to remain. Such thing should
not be tolerated for an instant, and
would not be in an eastern city. Why
do not the railroad officials instruct their
servants, and enforce their tructions;
that it is their duty, and an impera-
tive one, to secure the travelling public
from all such rannoyances and incon.
veniences. If the officials fail in this,
they are certainly guilty of O culpable
negligence.
We we'll know that little authority
will make US wondrous proud, and un-
less watched, the drivers will take ad.
vantage of their position. as is illus.
trated by some of the drivers on the
line runcing to Washington Garden.
There is a rule instructing the drivers
only to stop at the ''far crossing" but
surely the railroad company had no in.
tention of it being carried out to the an
noying extent that it is. Between Tenn.
pie and Second streets it does very we'll,
and there is no reason why it should not
be applied, but beyond that there is no
occasion for it; nor should it prevent
the cars stopping before places of pub.
lie amusement, churches, etc. This
same rule is enforced on the Market
street line of San Francisco, at the same
time the conductors are allowed to ex.
ercise discretion. They will always
stop for a lady to get on or off, if in the
middle of the block. or some distance
from the crossing. A few days ago
lady rang the bell, giving the driver
ample time to stop the car at the cross.
ing. He paid no attention, and she
again rang it just as the car had gone
few feet past the crossing, He heard
the bells, but not stopping, the
lady asked him to do SO. Against
rules, can only stop at the
next crossing" She told him
she had rang the bell twice. "Can't
help it, too late now," was his reply.
The lady was taken full block out of
her way. At many of the cross streets
there is but one crossing. Yet, during
the recent storms, the drivers following
this rule to the very letter. would pass
the crossing. stopping the car in the
midst of water, mud and slush, compell-
ing ladies and children to alght in it.
/ could give dozen similar cases but l
know your space is valuable, SO we will
only cite one more in this connection,
case wherein it amounted to downright
cruelty. A day or SO ago three ladies
approached the car track and motioned
to car coming up town to stop. They
were something over a hundred feet from
the crossing, and the driver told them to
90 up to it. The driver saw what every
one on the car saw, that one of the
ladies was very old and feeble, SO feeble
that her companions were supporting
her on either side, yet the driver com.
PEELED them to walk on dusty road and
under a hot sun to the crossing. In
citing these cases or speaking of the
drivers I don't wish it to appear that l
include all. Far from it, for some of the
drivers show as much consideration as
the circumstances allow to the miserable
public, of which am ONE.